Blue Jays vs Nationals 08/17/21 – Odds and MLB Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays have two of their steadier starting pitchers scheduled as they enter an interleague matchup where they might have little margin for error as a heavy favorite. The Blue Jays are -210 away favorites and the Washington Nationals are +180 home underdogs with a 9.5-run total on the MLB odds for Tuesday night at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com (how the moneyline works).

The Blue Jays are 7-6 this season when they have gone deeper than -150 into minus money on the road, with the total going OVER in eight of those 13 matchups at online betting sites. They are 8-4 over their last 12 away games against NL East teams, with the total going UNDER eight times. The Nationals are 7-13 in their last 20 games as a home underdog of +135 or more, with the OVER hitting 11 times. 

This is the first time since the July 30 non-waiver trade deadline that Washington has hosted an AL East team. The Nationals have won their last seven home matchups against AL East teams, but are 9-11 in their last 20 such matchups with the UNDER hitting 13 times.

The Blue Jays’ 63-54 record includes an 18-12 mark since the all-star break. Offensively, they are third in MLB in runs per game (5.16) and first in OPS (.786).  Toronto’s best hitter since the all-star break, George Springer (1.133 OPS in that time), is day-to-day with a mild left ankle sprain. Teoscar Hernández (1.053) has been Toronto’s second-best batter over the last month, and recent addition Corey Dickerson also has a .365/.400/.635 career batting slash in Nationals Park.

On the mound, Toronto is eighth in starting pitcher ERA (3.78) and 13th in reliever ERA (4.03). As a whole, the Blue Jays have the seventh-best ERA (3.57) since the all-star break.

The Nationals’ 50-68 record includes an 8-21 mark since the all-star break. Their offense is 19th in runs per game (4.34) and 10th in OPS (.743). Juan Soto (1.219 OPS), Yadiel Hernández (.968) and Josh Bell (.778) have been Washington’s three best batters since the break.

On the mound, Washington is ranked 20th in starting pitcher ERA (4.53) and 25th in reliever ERA (4.74). Since the all-star break, they are 29th in ERA (5.99).

Rookie righthander Alek Manoah (5-1, 2.59 ERA, 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings) will start on Tuesday, opposite Nationals righthander Erick Fedde (4-8, 5.12 ERA, 8.2 SO/9). The Blue Jays are 8-3 when Manoah starts, and five of his last seven starts have finished OVER. The Nationals are 2-5 the last seven times that Fedde started while they were a home underdog, with the OVER hitting four times. Fedde has a 2.89 career ERA in 9.1 innings against Toronto.

Righthander José Berríos (8-6, 3.52 ERA, 10.3 SO/9) will start for Toronto in Wednesday’s matchup, opposite Nationals rookie righthander Josiah Gray (0-1, 4.13 ERA, 11.6 SO/9). Berríos has only one career outing against Washington, where he hurled seven shutout innings with only two hits allowed. Berríos’ teams are 11-8 in his last 19 road-favorite starts, with the OVER hitting 11 times. The total has gone UNDER in three of Gray’s first four MLB starts.

The Blue Jays have an off-day on Thursday before beginning a three-game home series against the Detroit Tigers.